Hundreds of people are killed every year due to hazardous snow conditions, avalanches and blizzards around the world. Often these people are using commonly available snow recreational equipment (e.g., snowboards, skis, snow shoes, snow mobiles, cold weather camping equipment) and are not adequately prepared to detect and/or survive the hazardous snow conditions. There exists, therefore, a need for a safety device that can be utilized by a user of snow recreational equipment to detect and survive hazardous snow conditions.
One source of risk is the fact that the average user of available snow recreational equipment can not or will not bear the burden of carrying safety-related equipment other than standard recreational equipment and clothing for protection against the elements. For example, an Alpine- or Nordic-style skier will often only carry ski clothing, ski equipment, and some currency when the skier is heading out for a day on the slopes. Similarly, a snowboarder will only carry snowboard clothing, snowboard equipment, and some currency when the snowboarder is heading out for a day on a mountain--even if the snowboarder (or skier) intends to ski in "out of bounds" areas not normally patrolled by rescue or policing agencies. Despite the existence of such risks (some known and others not) most users of snow recreational equipment are unlikely to carry a safety device that provides any carrying burden in addition to the snow recreational equipment. There exists, therefore, a need for a safety device that is integral with or attachable to snow recreational equipment.